Air conditioning



June 13, 1933. T CHESTER 1,913,659

AIR CONDITIONING Filed Feb. 2l, 1931 Mamas (Zeszef ATTORNEY Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED' STATES THOMAS CHESTEB,'0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA AIB CONDITIONING Application led'February 21, 1931. Serial No. 517,475.

This invention relates tol air conditioning and Ventilating as for auditoriums or other enclosures wherein a standard of conditions of humidity, temperature, and quality is to 5 be maintained.

The system usually provided for such a purpose embraces recirculating the air of the enclosure, and treating the air thus withdrawn from the enclosure before it is `re 1o turned jthereto. Treatment typically includes a modification of the dewpoint of the air, and thereafter adjustment of the tem- 4 perature. Also, to maintain the standard of quality fresh air may be added to the recirculating air.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for treating such recirculated air whereby the desired changes therein will require only the simplest and 0 most inexpensive apparatus.

The exact nature of the invention together with further objects and'advantages thereof will be apparent from the following description taken' in connection with the accom- 25 panying drawing'in which Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional views in plan and elevation respectively illustrative of pertinent parts of the apparatus, and in which arrows indicate the direction of flow of air.

With reference now to the drawing, 1 is a conduit by which air is led into the conditioning apparatus from the enclosure to be ventilated and 2 is the return conduit to the enclosure. The conditioning apparatus is located in a housing 3 iseparated 1nto the 'two compartments shown by the partition 4.

The first compartment, 5, is a fan room containing the fan or blower 6 and motor 7 for drivingl the same. An opening 8 for fresh air, leads into the compartment 5, and dampers 9 may be arranged for adjustment of the effective opening. `Thus both recirculated and fresh air will have input to the fan 6. A large opening 10 is provided in the 45 partition 4 and a mouth 11 connects the output end of the fan with the other compartment 12 so that the fan will deliver into the latter.' Doors13, normally kept closed allow access to the parts within the compartments of the housing. l

In the compartment 12, centrally thereof and opposite the mouth of the fan, are banks of spray nozzles 14 having Water supply connection as at 15. Back of the spray nozzles is a bank of cold coils 16 in which refrigerant may be expanded, connection therefor being by way of the piping 17 from the refrigerating room 18. A tank 19 is arran ed beneath the nozzles 14 and cold coil 16 or drainage of the spray froin'the for- -3 mer.

VArranged about the nozzles 14 and the cold coils 16 is a wall 20 having an inlet opening as at 21 turned toward the fan 6. The wall extends rearwardly from the fan "J to the back wall 22 of the housing 3. Back of the cold coils, however, the wall 2() has one or more openings as at 23 in which dampers 24 are set for the purpose of controllingvthe same. "3

It will be apparent that the described apparatus within the walls'20 comprises a dehumidifier bywhich the air passing therethrough may be brought'approximately to the saturation or dew point at the mist cham- 7 ber temperature; the cold coils being available for use in the summer months as will be appreciated.

Just at the delivery end 25 of the dehumidifier into the conduit 2, and beyond the 59 openings 23, I provide means for creating turbulence. Such means may preferably be in the form of sectional heaters or coils which cause the air to follow tortuous paths over-.pipes or surfaces which produce mixs" ing due to turbulence. The heating coils 26 have connectionsvas at 27 by which steam or hot water may be provided in winter to add any required amount of heat to the air. It is not necessary to supply steam to such a heater in warm weather, as in summer its solelfunction is to act as a device for intermingling the two different air streams. If desired the apparatus can be designed so that in winter 'the entire volumeof air han- 9" dled by the fan can be lmade to pass through the air washer for the purpose of removing dust and dirt from the air which `is returned to the apparatus from the auditorium or enclosure..

It will be observed that the walls' 20 provide an alternate passage for air delivered pheric pressure. This total pressure is the sum of the velocity pressure and the static pressure. The static pressure is the sum of all the various resistances encountered by the moving air -until it finally reaches atmospheric pressure. These resistances include those of the dehumidifier with cooling coils, lthe heater, ducts, outlet registers, and also any slightly maintained pressure above atmosphere or plenum within the auditorium or structure to be ventilated. The force available to cause air -to flow from the chambers on each side of the dehumidifier, through the openings 23 and thence through the releater, is the differential pressure between the air entering and that leaving the dehumidifier. In other words there is a drop in static pressure ofthe v air ahead of and after the dehumidifier, due to the resistance of' the latter; and this differential head is available in the air discharged from the fan outside the dehumidifier, to cause it to enter the openings 23 and rejoin the central stream. The outside course is the easier path and the air would naturally take this path, so that the side dampers 24 can nicely providesuitable humidity control by regulating the volumes of the two parallel portions of the air stream, namely, unmodified andv refrigerated or dehumidified air.

The space Within the compartment-12 and outside the dehumidifier walls 20 thus constitutes a plenum chamber. This chamber may extend above and on either side of the dehumidifier as shown in the drawing, or, of course, it may be only on any one side. At any rate the plenum chamber is in parallel relation with the dehumidifier chamber, in the system.

In operation, the relative velocities in these two parallel paths are of course controlled byadjustment of the dampers 24. The con-I thestream past the heating coils 26, the coils creatin ample turbulence for the purpose. This e ect of turbulence is had regardless of whether or not there be actual circulation, as of a heating medium such as steam through the heating coils. Thus, when air heating is unnecessar as in the summer season, ,the chilled an unmodified air in tha. stream de. livered through the duct 2 will still be thoroughly intermixed, so that the stream has substantially uniform humidity throughout its section.

What I claim is:

1. In a Ventilating system, .an enclosure having an air supply connection, a second, adjacent enclosure having a conditioned air outlet, means providing air fiow from said first chamber into said second chamber, partition means in the second chamber, providing a conduit leading from said outlet with a plenum chamberadjacent the conduit, air

conditioning means Within said conduit,.

heating means at the delivery end of vsaid conduit, said partition having a controlled bypass opening providing communication from said plenum chamber to said-conduit. between said air conditioning means and said heating means.

2. In a Ventilating system, an enclosure .l

having controlled fresh air and recirculated air'supply connections, a second, adjacent enclosure having a conditioned air outlet, fan means in the first chamber arranged to deliver into the second chamber, partition means in the lsecond chamber, leading from said outlet toward said fan to provide a cond uit with a plenum chamber thereadjacent, air conditioning means within said conduit, heating means at the delivery end of said conduit, said partition having a controlled bypass opening providing communication from said plenum chamber to said conduit, between said air conditioning means and said heating means.

In testimony whereof I hereby ax my signature.

THOMAS CHESTER. 

